Mehboob Bawa
ALKA Yagnik, one of Bollywood’s top playback singers, will head a musical concert at the Cape Town International Convention Centre on December 14.
Accompanying the award-winning singer are two talented young artists, the 10-year-old Azmat Hussain and Nitin Kumar.
Also on the bill are popular television soap drama stars Dev and Radhika from Choti Bahu.
Yagnik has sung playback for a variety of Bollywood’s major heroines since she made her debut in 1979.
It was her rendition of Ek Do Teen, for actress Madhuri Dixit in the 1988 release Tezaab, that catapulted her to fame. Since then, she has become a sought-after singer and has featured on the soundtracks of some of Bollywood’s biggest box office successes.
Her repertoire includes songs from films such as Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, Baazigar, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Kal Ho Naa Ho and the new version of the film Umrao Jaan.
Over the three decades she has been performing, Yagnik has garnered many awards for her singing, including the prestigious Filmfare award – seven times – and the National Film Award twice.
Yagnik has reportedly sung more than 20 000 songs for more than 800 films in various Indian languages.
Recently she entered the television industry as the host of India’s most popular televised talent search shows and was also the main judge on Zee TV’s Little Champs show for this year.
So, it seems fitting that she has invited the winner, Azmat, and the runner-up, Nitin, of the latest season to accompany her on the SA tour.
Despite their youth, they have proved themselves to be superb vocalists and have stolen the hearts of millions of television viewers through their performances.
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